Whoever assigned her to be the caboose in the faculty train was a genius. She got the first faculty laugh of the day by encouraging a personal round of applause. Also, Joni has promised a gnome. I will be very disappointed if she doesn't make good on that.
Opening remarks: Joni Sensel, Laurie Thompson, and Kim Baker #scbwiwwa
Did you know that 350 or so people stomping on the ground sounds like rain? It really does!And with this rain, we are introducing our conference faculty. Except that no one is coming in the door. Good thing Kim is wearing sensible shoes so she can run back and invite them in.And now, she is... Continue Reading →
Conference trivia: the age range #scbwiwwa
We have a 51-year age span of our conference attendees. Our youngest new attendee is 25; the oldest is 76.
Conference newbie tip – talking to agents and editors #scbwiwwa
Jolie Stekly is leading a packed pre-conference session for first-time attendees.The question came up: Should you pitch an agent or editor at a conference like this?Answer: No. There will be opportunities for that, and it's better that you get to know the editors and agents a bit before you try to sync up on projects.... Continue Reading →
Welcome to our annual conference #scbwiwwa
For the first time, we'll be blogging live from the conference floor--both to provide a record for attendees, and to give a hint of the inspirational, insightful, and unforgettable insights of our faculty. We're lucky to have experienced live bloggers Jolie Stekly and Jaime Temairik on our team. I'm the third wheel--something indispensable on a... Continue Reading →
It’s Operation Teen Book Drop
You might have noticed the countdown clock on our blog...Operation Teen Book Drop, a program that started in our very own region, is April 15.What follows is a long post about it, but here's the summary:10,000 books, donated by publishers, are getting delivered to teens on Native reservations and tribal landsYou can donate books to... Continue Reading →
A limerick for the ages
Peg Kehret sent this along, and it seemed like a fine way to celebrate National Poetry Month. A new class of antidepressants Is targeted at adolescents. They lose track of time, Of meter, of rhyme, I mean, it's like really sad.
Hahahahaha!
Dana Sullivan's latest ponders the most irritating question we hear from people who have no idea how great kids' books are these days. Zing!
Watch Lida Enche work
Here's her cover assignment for the illustrator's workshop at our conference this weekend. Curious about how she did it? She put together a slide show that shows how she went from illustration to final product. It's really neat.
How do you make a picture book?
David Hyde Costello wrote and illustrated I CAN HELP, and you can see how the story and illustrations evolved on the MacKids blog (produced by Macmillan). It's quite interesting (and thanks to Liz Mills for the link).